A New Home for the Classic Toy: Lego House in Billund

The Lego House stands, literally, for the endless possibilities of Lego bricks and for the philosophy of the company. In the place of the old town hall in the Danish town of Billund, 21 white blocks now rise and offer space for play, the joy of experimentation and creativity.

Client: Lego

Architect: BIG

Location: Billund (DK)

Text: Sulafa Isa published 10.11.2017

At the centre of the building, the architects from BIG have developed a large urban square measuring 2,000 m². Bound by free-standing cubes, it displays an open, inviting character and is well-lit from all sides. Various urban uses such as a café, restaurant, Lego store and conference rooms mean that the square on the ground floor will serve both as a meeting place and as a place to spend time; it can also be used as a shortcut. Above the central square, overlapping cubes have been stacked to form an exhibition tour.

The colour scheme is based on the classic Lego colours. Divided into zones, each colour symbolizes a particular aspect of children’s learning processes: green stands for social skills, yellow for emotional capabilities. Here, visitors of all ages have the opportunity to gather interactive experience, live out their imagination and immerse themselves in the Lego cosmos.

The top of the complex is home to the Masterpiece Gallery, a collection of Lego creations. The gallery was built to the proportions of a 2 x 4 Lego brick and features eight round skylights that echo the shape of those typical Lego studs. The roof of the Masterpiece Gallery offers visitors and residents alike a 360-degree view over Billund. Some of the other roofs in the complex can be reached via two large outdoor stairways in a pixelated look: these also work as an urban stage.

The proportions of the Lego bricks appear in the design of the entire built structure. For instance, the façade and steps are clad with glazed ceramic tiles in the same scale.